


we'll be counting stars

by kaihun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Camping, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, M/M, Pre-Slash, Summer, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24029467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaihun/pseuds/kaihun
Summary: After his best friend Sehun convinces him to go on an impromptu camping trip before they both leave for college as an excuse to tell him something important, Jongin comes to a realization of his own.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai & Oh Sehun, Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 12
Kudos: 77
Collections: Challenge #1 — Beginning





	we'll be counting stars

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tiny sparks challenge #1, "Beginning" (1k limit)

How Kim Jongin, a self-proclaimed homebody, finds himself starting a campfire in the middle of the Reserve is a mystery... to probably no one. His best friend, Sehun, had barged into his room yesterday (Jongin’s mom just lets him into the house, Sehun practically lives there), demanding they go camping, because one, they hadn’t done it yet, two, it’s their last summer before college, and three, it’s destiny because there’s a Perseid meteor shower tomorrow.

Sehun is always listing various reasons to convince Jongin why he should do something or another with him, but little does he know: he doesn’t have to try that hard. Anything Sehun is passionate about, Jongin is willing to do at least once, even if that means having to brave the great outdoors. Don’t get him wrong - Jongin loves nature, but more like the concept of it. He’ll go outside, feel the sun, smell the flowers, have Sehun take an aesthetic picture of him to post on Instagram, and then go home, where he can relax and recharge with a good book or work on his next Lego project. Spending overnight sleeping in a tent is a whole other story, but well, here he is. Jongin had pretended to make a fuss about it before “caving in” to the request, which Sehun was pleased by, knowing that he had the power of being convincing.

It’s late afternoon and the cicadas are singing, making Jongin almost painfully nostalgic - he already knows this is one of those nights he’ll look back on years later and think, _I miss this_. While he’s working the campfire, Sehun is a few yards away attempting to assemble their tent, which he insisted doing on his own because it's supposed to be easy to pitch. Jongin gives Sehun about two more minutes before he gives up and asks him for help.

“Uh, Jongin?” He hears Sehun call out. “Can you come over here for a sec?”

Together, they pitch their tent and have a nice fire going to toast their marshmallows. They didn’t bring any folding chairs, but Sehun found a log with just enough room for the both of them to sit on. It’s a bit tight, but they’re used to sitting with their knees knocking together, anyway.

“This is nice, right?” Sehun asks, biting into his halfway-burnt marshmallow.

“It’s nice,” Jongin agrees.

The cicadas’ song is dying down now, and the sound of the wind softly rustling the trees becomes more pronounced, complementing the sharp crackling of the fire. Sehun and Jongin are both quiet, lost in thought as they stare into the flames.

“You know, I’m going to miss you,” Jongin thinks, then realizes he’s said this out loud.

Sehun turns to look at him then, and sees something in Jongin’s expression, because he won’t look away. Right when Jongin thinks they’ve been staring at each other for a beat longer than what two friends can brush off as nothing, Sehun seems to snap out of it, turning to look back at the fire. There’s a flush on Sehun’s cheeks, and it makes Jongin realize how humid it still is, even with the sun down. Sehun looks pensive, like he wants to say something but doesn’t know how - a look Jongin has seen on him a hundred times. He has to be an expert on interpreting Sehun’s body language by now, but for some reason, whatever Sehun has to say can always surprise him.

“I’ll miss you, too,” Sehun says, finally. “Uh, there’s another reason I wanted to go camping today. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.” Sehun glances at him again, looking nervous. “Before we both go off to college, I had to make sure you knew.”

There it is.

“Okay. Here it goes - let me just say it before I freak out even more,” Sehun says, mostly to himself before suddenly blurting out, “I’m gay.”

“Dude,” Jongin says, and it must be the intonation in his voice, because Sehun visibly relaxes, as if everything from here on out is easy now. “I-” He pauses, wanting to be careful about what he says next. “I’m glad you told me.” He means it with every fiber of his being.

“You’re the first person I told.” Sehun brings his knees up to his chest, looking small. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell our friends. Or my parents! Jongin, how am I going to tell them?”

Jongin pulls Sehun in without thinking, hugging him close enough to feel Sehun’s thudding heartbeat, and Sehun must feel his, too. Their quiet intimacy has always been a source of comfort in their friendship - they’ve never needed words to describe how being together like this makes them feel.

“There’s no rush. You can tell them when you’re ready.” He squeezes Sehun tighter, if that’s even possible. “I’m always here for you.”

Jongin feels what’s probably a hiccup, as Sehun tries to hold back a sob. “I don’t know why I was so afraid to tell you.” Sehun’s apologetic tone is so upsetting that Jongin feels like he could cry now, thinking of how long Sehun might’ve been agonizing over this.

Sehun’s timer on his phone suddenly goes off, shocking them both before Sehun realizes it’s the timer he set for the Perseids. “Oh crap, it’s going to start soon! We should put out the fire and find a better spot.”

With the night sky distantly raining meteors and Sehun holding his left hand the entire time, Jongin reaches an epiphany - he loves Sehun. There’s no pressing need to tell him, not after the weight of what was said tonight, but finally putting a word to something he’s felt for so long now feels inexplicably freeing. 

He’ll worry about how this could complicate their friendship later. For now, he has his best friend by his side who trusts him more than anyone, and every shooting star is another wish with the endless possibility of coming true.


End file.
